1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a skate boot. The invention relates also to a shell for a shell skate boot and to a getting up aid for a skate boot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Skate boots are known to come in various designs. Specifically known are ice-hockey goalkeeper""s skate boots because they generally include a boot leg having a lesser height than that of skate boots of the rest of a team. These skate boots can feature a known, conventional boot design or an also known design as shell boot having an outer shell of a plastic material and including an inner liner boot.
One defensive movement of the ice-hockey goalkeeper against shots on the goal is a movement called in the professional language of goalkeepers xe2x80x9cButterflyxe2x80x9d. The shanks of the goalkeeper are, thereby, spread out sidewise and the skate boots lie at their inner instep side surface partly on the ice and the blades are positioned at a large acute angle relative to the ice or have no contact with the ice at all. This poses for the goalkeeper problems when he wants to change to a different defensive position or back to his normal position. Figure-skating ice skaters, when getting up from a similar position, e.g. from a sidewise part or also complete splits, can encounter for mentioned reason the same problems, too.
Hence, a general object of the present invention is to provide a skate boot which enables specifically a goalkeeper to get up in a most easy way from a butterfly position, and where applicable eases also for a figure-skater the getting up from a sidewise splits.
A further object is to provide a skate boot having at least one domed protrusion at the outer surface of its inner side.
Due to the fact that a domed protrusion is foreseen at the outer surface of the inner instep, thus, of the surface which faces the ice at the sidewise splits a different position of the ice skate relative to the ice is effected, such that the angle between the blade and the surface of the ice is less acute, or that the blade has a better contact with the ice, respectively, than in case of a skate boot having the conventional extent of its outer shape without an added domed protrusion. This improved contact with the ice facilitates the getting up, so that the domed protrusion forms a getting up aid for the rising from a specific position.
A further object of the invention is to provide a shell for a skate boot which allows a more facilitated rising from the xe2x80x9cbutterflyxe2x80x9d position.
Still a further object is to provide a shell for a shell skate boot at which at least one domed protrusion is foreseen at the outer surface of its inner instep.
The domed protrusion is preferably adjacent the sole area of the skate boot or shell, respectively, because of such a position it can be dimensioned smaller for achieving the same effect than as it would be when it would be arranged further up in the area of the boot upper.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a getting up aid for a skate boot which at the above described position lessens or avoids the stated difficulties when getting up.
Still a further object is to provide a getting up aid, especially for an ice-hockey goalkeeper""s skate boot which includes a body which is adapted to form a domed protrusion at the skate boot and is adapted to be mounted at the outer surface of the inner instep of the upper material or to the area of the sole.
Because the getting up aid is designed for a mounting to the outer surface of the inner instep area of the boot, it is possible to obtain with same the same effect regarding an improved angular position of the boot in that the body of the getting up aid at the boot forms the respective domed protrusion.